My First Week on Project!

I'm writing here on my first week of my senior project! My main goal when I came up with my idea of singing for my senior project was to devote a month to singing--because I knew I wouldn't get the chance to pursue music in this manner once I get to college. I was extremely excited to have this time in which I could feel and act like a professionally-trained vocalist, because, as of right now, I think my project is the closest I'll ever get to singing professionally. And I have to say, my notions about my project were exceeded by what I've done this week.

I spend Monday through Thursday working with the Middle School choirs under the direction of Mrs. Bolton as they prepare for their spring concert on May 26th. My typical schedule is that I spend the first part of my morning with either the entire 7th grade or entire 8th grade choir and then spend the rest of my morning in sectionals. In class, I sing with the sopranos--essentially just acting as a part of their choir and helping the girls out with their part. However, in sectionals I've had the opportunity to take individual sections and teach them their parts of the songs they're preparing for their spring concert and for graduation. It was a really daunting task at first, and I definitely did not feel qualified to lead the sectional myself, but it has definitely become my favorite part of the day. I love the interaction I have with the students and really feel like I'm doing something productive with my time! As the weeks go on, I'll be a portion of my afternoons with the 6th grade choir and help them with their two songs for the concert.

As far as my individual singing goes, I've started to prepare my repertoire for the recital I will hold on May 28th to showcase my month of work. So far, I've been practicing on my own for about two hours a day--not only working on honing my vocal technique but also in preparing the songs in my rep. As of right now, I have learned five out of the 8 songs and am now working to put on finishing touches and stylistic choices. Twice a week, I take these songs into lesson, and Amanda (my voice teacher) helps me make these songs not only more polished, but my own. I've gotten the chance to delve into genres that I would have never sang otherwise, like opera and art songs, and sure enough, I'm loving them! I love being able to explore different genres and techniques with each song. However, I have noticed that my voice is adjusting from singing so much each day.

Stay tuned for my next post...